W 9º 12’ 16’’

N 38º 39’ 36’’

The PM#GRID Team The problem

Suspended particle matter (PM) represents one of the highest concentrations atmospheric
Nuno Grosso | ncsg@fct.unl.pt pollutants worldwide, strongly affecting air quality at local, regional and global scales.
IMAR/New University of Lisbon
PM is a highly variable pollutant in both space and time domains presenting a concentration
Nuno Pacheco | nrap@fct.unl.pt mapping challenge at different spatial scales to which traditional monitoring ground data
IMAR/New University of Lisbon doesn’t fully answer.
Source: http://www.atmos.umd.edu/
~pedro/aerosols.jpg/
Dimitris Paronis | dpar@space.noa.gr The approach
National Observatory of Athens Data acquired by remote sensing represents a potential tool to improve PM concentration
Fabrice Brito | fabrice.brito@terradue.com
spatial estimates accuracy and uncertainty, through physically or statistically based
Terradue Italia Srl algorithms retrieving PM concentration surrogates. In particular, the Aerosol Optical Depth
(AOD) that measures the aerosols concentration present in the atmospheric column may be
Pedro Gonçalves | pedro.goncalves@terradue.com used as an indirect estimate of PM concentration at ground level.
Terradue Italia Srl
PM#GRID Objective
AATSR AOD over Europe
(Koelemeijer et al. 2007) Implement a grid platform for the generation of map products related to
particulate air-pollution (PM10, PM2.5) monitoring on European scale based
PM#GRID results on AOD satellite products.
will improve spatial
Airbase station coverage for 2005 coverage and
information on PM A pre-operational framework will be developed through the synergism of European Environmental
ground
concentrations Agency (EEA) Airbase ground air-quality data with ESA satellite Aerosol Optical Depth (AOD)
products and NCEP Global Tropospheric Analysis meteorological parameters. Using an innovative
data fusion approach of both satellite imagery and ground based European air quality data
Example of the spatial coverage given by an AOD map
PM#GRID map design is a scientific breakthrough that can enhance the spatial representativeness
Source: http://www.geomon.eu/ of the actual PM ground concentration datasets.
Interpolated PM10 ground concentrations annual average, 2005 (Airbase
stations in combination with modelled output from EMEP and other parameters)
Source: http://www.eea.europa.eu/ Copyright EEA, Copenhagen, [2008]

Why a GRID Platform?

•Able to deal with large data volumes applications acquired over long observation periods:
•Implement a DATA INTEGRATION AND EXTRACTION SERVICE from high volume datasets such as:
•European Environmental Agency (EEA) Airbase ground air-quality data
•MERIS Aerosol Optical Depth (AOD) product
•NCEP Global Tropospheric Analysis meteorological parameters

•Perform thorough validation of the algorithms and produce highly resilient and reliable products:
•Provide a TESTBED FOR THE CALIBRATION, VALIDATION AND OPTIMIZATION OF AOD BASED PM10/PM2.5 ESTIMATION ALGORITHMS using the above
mentioned datasets

•Generate global and/or long-term time series products

•Develop a PM10/PM2.5 CONCENTRATION MAPPING SERVICE AT EUROPEAN SCALE, using user customized or predefined satellite AOD based algorithms

PM estimation method
GRID Architecture

AirBase database
PM, Meteorological
and AOD
Calibration dataset
NCEP and
Airbase Ground
extraction stations
module Type of Time
query
3 1 station aggregation
NCEP and Determination of schemes
Airbase catalog statistical AOT based
PM estimation
models
Terradue Meteorological
Seasonality parameters

ESA G-POD FCT-UNL

Error Analysis

2 4 Linear
regression
MERIS
extraction module Are the
Change
module statistical
user query No
models
parameters
robust?

MERIS catalog
Data extraction Service
Yes

Validation of
PM,Meteorological
statistical AOT
1 and AOD Validation
2 NCEP dataset
based PM
estimation models
extraction
PM Mapping
module
module

If
MERIS catalog Terradue validated

NCEP catalog
AOT based PM ground
ESA G-POD concentration estimation
algorithms for map
production
PM Mapping Service

Air quality monitoring and forecast Repercussions

Provide better air quality modelling validation datasets
More robust input data for emissions inventory calculation
Determination of exposure indexes for epidemiological studies

Air quality information

General public will access more comprehensive air quality information

Air quality policy

Political stakeholders can have a more integrated air quality evaluation, allowing the implementation of effective air quality policies and measures

Source for all images in diagram above: http://www.eea.europa.eu/ Copyright EEA, Copenhagen

The PM#GRID is financed by the Portuguese Science and Technology

Foundation / FCT - GRID/GRI/81877/2006